


Dinner for Two

by daydreamsonacloudyday



Series: Charlotte "Charlie" Shepard [17]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-19
Updated: 2015-11-19
Packaged: 2018-05-02 10:43:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5245346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daydreamsonacloudyday/pseuds/daydreamsonacloudyday
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kaidan cooks for Charlie.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dinner for Two

**Author's Note:**

> This is my version of the date with Kaidan in the Citadel DLC in ME3, and takes place shortly after the clone fiasco is dealt with, in the time Charlie takes to rest and recover before throwing the party at the apartment. It takes place before _[An Uncertain Future](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4850045)_ , which also happens in this little break before the party.

Charlie rolled over as she awoke, aimlessly reaching for Kaidan beside her. She felt nothing but empty bedsheets, and blinked her eyes open, frowning when she confirmed her suspicion that he'd already gotten up.

Yawning, she stretched and sat up, not bothering to pull on anything over her underwear before she left the room in search of Kaidan. She heard movement as she came down the stairs, the rustling coming from the kitchen.

When she walked into the room, she smiled at the sight: Kaidan was bent over as he rummaged through the fridge, his ass right on display. His lower half was only clad in underwear as well, and she admired the sight as she shuffled towards him. Her heart warmed and her smile grew even more when he stood up,  _Shepard_  plastered on the back of his t-shirt. It was fitting he was wearing one of her shirts—she was wearing one of his, after all.

Kaidan turned around and finally saw her, his face lighting up with a grin. "Hey, Charlie, you're awake," he said softly. She hummed in response as he stepped up to her and snaked his arms around her waist. "How was your nap?"

"Good." Glancing down at his half-undressed state and the food he already took out of the fridge, she drew her brows together. "I thought we were going out?"

"We'll just end up back here, anyway," he replied, his gravely voice lower than usual.

"Well, yes, we are staying here until the  _Normandy_ 's ready to get back into action."

He huffed, shaking his head. "You know what I mean."

Charlie grinned at him, and he pressed his lips to hers in a tender kiss. After they broke apart, she walked over to the island counter. "So you're going to cook for me?" she asked over her shoulder, hopping onto a seat.

"Yup. Let me impress you."

"Impress away, Major." She watched as Kaidan flashed her a smile and then opened up the cabinet below the counter. She looked over the steaks, bacon, and other ingredients he had laid out on the counter and she arched her eyebrow at him. "What are you making, anyway? Some sort of… Canadian delicacy or something?"

"Uh, sure, exactly," he muttered, still poking around in the cabinet. He finally found what he was looking for and placed a pan on the stove. "We have beef, we have bacon, we have beer. The foods of my people," he continued, popping open a beer for them each. Biting back a grin, Charlie took a beer from him, and they clinked their bottles together before both taking a deep swig. "Wish me luck."

Charlie placed her beer down on the counter and glared at him. "I'm sorry, did you say 'wish me  _luck_?'" she asked incredulously. "If you need luck to cook us dinner, we're screwed."

"Screwed?" He brought his hand to his chest, feigning pain. "You hurt me, Charlie. Relax, it's going to be great," he assured her, chopping up some garlic and tossing it into the pan.

"Are you sure about that? Where'd you learn to cook? Please tell me it was from someone who knew what the word 'edible' means."

"Classes at Jump Zero, believe it or not. Young biotics who can't cook for themselves risk starving."

"Well, did you pass?" She frowned at the sight before her. "Because you're burning the garlic."

Kaidan took care of the garlic before meeting her gaze, a slight blush tinging his cheeks. "Sorry. Guess I'm distracted."

Barking a laugh, Charlie grinned at him. "Yeah, sure, blame it on me," she drawled. "But know that I wouldn't be burning anything if I were the one cooking."

"You can cook?"

"A roommate on Arcturus taught me. She said eating cafeteria crap 24/7 was bad for morale." Charlie sat up straight and held her head high. "I have to say, I'm pretty exceptional at it."

Kaidan chuckled as he continued to prepare the food. "Is there anything you're bad at?"

"Nope."

"Oh, really?" he asked, smirking at her. "If I remember correctly, you were constantly stepping on my toes at the party the other night. I think they're bruised."

"Shut up," she playfully snapped. "You asked for it when you made me dance with you."

Laughing, he put his steak-and-bacon combination in the pan to cook and walked around the counter to where Charlie sat, turning her on the seat to face him as he stepped up close to her. He slid his arms around her waist and she hooked her legs around his torso, draping her arms around his neck as he leaned in for a kiss.

When they broke for air, he rested his forehead against hers, and she nuzzled his face with her own.

"You'd better watch it, Kaidan," she breathed, reaching forward to lightly nibble on his lower lip. "I might 'distract' you again, and then you're going to blame me for fucking up our food. And that would suck because I'm getting hungry."

Kaidan pressed his mouth to hers, chuckling against her lips as he gave her a final kiss.

"Aye, aye, Commander."

\- . - . - . - . -

They ended up on the couch after their meal, content to simply sit together and stare at the view, the lights from the strip flashing into the apartment.

Kaidan released a deep breath as his fingers continued running through Charlie's hair where she laid her head on his lap. "This was great."

"Hmm, I don't know," she droned, looking up at him. "I'm still waiting for the botulism to kick in."

He frowned, his brows furrowing. "Hey, I thought it was pretty good."

Sitting up, Charlie grinned at him before planting a quick peck to his lips. "It was good. I'm very impressed."

"Thank you." His expression lightened, a soft smile spreading across his face. "I'm an enigma. I've got skills," he added, and she quirked an eyebrow at him. "For example: fist fight, me and James. I'd win, right?" Charlie snorted a laugh, covering her mouth to try and stop herself.

"You're kidding, right?"

"What if I fought dirty?"

"Says the man who complains when I fight dirty," she said, sitting on his lap and straddling him. "Stick to cooking, Kaidan. You're good at that." Before he could protest, she pressed her lips to his, drawing him into a deep kiss. "You know what our dinner was missing?"

"What?"

" _Dessert_ ," she purred. "What do you say we whip some up together?"

Kaidan smirked before shifting their weight and maneuvering them on the couch, lowering Charlie down on her back as he settled between her legs. "I think we can manage that," her replied, his voice husky. He pressed his body against hers and met her lips with his, and she got lost in the feeling of him until an idea sparked in her head.

"Mmm… wait, wait, wait," she mumbled against his lips.

He pulled back and looked over her, making sure nothing was wrong. "What is it?"

Charlie bit her lip, unable to hide her smile. "Do we happen to have any chocolate syrup in this apartment?"


End file.
